This is a new year. It’s a different team. Whatever happened last year doesn’t matter.

That was the message from Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand after his team’s 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena. And with the way Marchand has played in this series (he has three goals and five assists in four games), it would be reasonable for fans to maintain a “In Brad We Trust” confidence going into Game 5 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

If not for one little thing. This is exactly where they were his time last year. After splitting Games 1 and 2 at home against the Florida Panthers, the Bruins went down to Florida and took both Games 3 and 4 to put them on easy street. Or so it seemed. No one gave the Panthers much of a chance at that point.

What happened next? Hockey happened. The Bruins lost in overtime in Game 5 at home, lost a wild back-and-forth Game 6 in Florida, and then lost another overtime Game 7 on Garden ice. And with that, the dream season was over.

So while the Leafs bickered among themselves on Saturday and were hoisted as piñatas by every pundit north of the border on Sunday, the fact of the matter is that the Bruins have not yet gotten any farther than last year’s team.

But while Marchand’s focus was to stay in the moment when he spoke to reporters after Game 4, Bruins Coach Jim Montgomery believes the experience from last season, however painful, should pay dividends.

“I think what we can learn is the urgency it takes to finish off a series,” Montgomery told reporters at Hanscom Airport on Sunday. “It’s so hard to end a team’s season and we know that. I think everyone that was part of it last year is better off for it.”

That sense of urgency should also affect the coach’s thinking in how he decides which goalie starts in Game 5 – if it hasn’t been made already. Montgomery went away from his goalie rotation, starting Jeremy Swayman for the second straight time in Game 4. With two days off before Game 5, there’s no reason why he should take the net away from Swayman, who has been spectacular, winning all three games in the series with a .956 save percentage and 1.34 GAA.

Montgomery hasn’t divulged his starting netminder before any playoff games thus far and he maintained that posture on Sunday. But there’s no denying what Swayman has meant to the team, which has fed off the netminder, getting better in each of the wins.

“Confidence, swagger. Those are the things that you guys, maybe you see it, maybe you don’t. But we see it,” said Montgomery. “And you look at the battle level and the confidence and the athleticism in the crease. Those are the things that jump out.”

There are a few potential momentum-changing scenarios that could come into play for the Leafs. It starts with an expected goalie change. Ilya Samsonov was yanked after two periods on Saturday and, frankly, it probably should have happened sooner in this series. In each of the three losses, he’s allowed at least one questionable goal. There’s no telling what Joseph Woll would be able to provide. Since coming back from a high ankle sprain that cost him almost three months, he hasn’t been good, posting a 10-4-6 record with an .890 save percentage and 3.14 GAA. But he didn’t allow any goals in the third period on Saturday, and that’s a start.

Even more intriguing would be the health and performance of two of Toronto’s biggest stars. Auston Matthews had to leave Game 4 after the second period because of an illness that has been affecting him.

“For whatever reason, it’s not one of those run-of-the-mill, everyday type of illnesses that come and go. It’s lingered,” Toronto Coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters in Toronto on Sunday. “The effects have lingered and it’s gotten worse every time he gets on the ice asserting himself. We’ve just got to manage that and give him the time he needs.”

The extra day off before Game 5 could help him get back to feeling normal, like when he was absolutely dominant in Toronto’s lone win in Game 2, that could obviously be a difference-maker.

One would also think that William Nylander, who missed the first three games of the series reportedly with migraines, would also be better for having a game under his belt.

Then there’s the pride factor. The Leafs are being ridiculed, especially Mitch Marner, who could be seen getting an earful from Nylander and Matthews in the second period. If they can foster the old us-against-the-world attitude, it could go a long way toward stealing Game 5 in Boston. And if that happens, the pressure shifts. We’ve all seen it.

So, no, finishing this job won’t be easy. And the Bruins should know that better than anyone.

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